FEELING AGAINST JAPAN.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10023, 20 April 1910, Page 3

FEELING AGAINST JAPAN.

Lord Stanhope contributes an interesting exposition oi the feeling of the British residents in the Far East against Japan. He says:— "The traveller, an he approaches Japan, his mind fillea with the lufty ideals of Bushido, his admiratiDn stimulated by tales of magnificent courage displayed by her troops in the late war, becomes somewhat dismayed at thu bitter feeling against our allies which is displayed on almost all sides by British residents in the Far East. "It has for some time been realised in this country that the Japanese are not the best people in the world with whom to have commercial dealings, and that they have not yet discovered that honesty is the best policy; but the general opinion still seems to be that this is merely a question of time—nay, even that better methods have already begun to prevail. It is not realised that because we are a Western race and the Japanese art Eastern one there

must always be fundamental differences between us, and that it may take centuries to eradicate what has existed for so many generations. It has been claimed that in Samura days it was only the lowest class of Japanese who engaged in trade, but that, now that the upper classes area also enterng all professions, the high standard of the ancient warrior class will be diifused throughout the country. Unfortunately, the canker appears to be spreading upwards, for in the recent sugar scandals, which, although well-nigh unnoticed in this country, created considerable consternation in Japan, members of both Houses of Parliament were seriously implicated.

"But the antagonism of foreign residents does not, unfortunately, rest alone on unsound, and even dishonest, business transactions. The method of minor official, and particularly their dealing with subject (or, as they consider, inferior) races are even less easy to condone. Incidentally it may surprise British readers to hear that since the war we, in common with other Western nations, are considered an inferior race by the rank and file in Japan, our sole claim to distinction being owr wealth. Let us, however, turn to Japan's dealings in Formosa and Korea. The press—perhaps, from the Japanese point of view, the best organised of all the fine organisations in Japan—has informed the world that Chinese methods of barbarism have long since vanished, and that all is peace and prosperity under the beneficent rule of the Rising Sun. It is a shock to discover that atrocities worthy of the Congo aro stii! being perpetrated. "On the 7th, Bth, and 10th of May nine Chinese—natives of Kachautsung and Sinchiautsun, / near Takaw, in the island of Formosa—were examined on a charge of gambling, of which they were undoubtedly guilty, and condemned to be flogged. Their relatives asked that they might first be examined by a doctor, but this the Japanese police peremptorily refused. The prisoners were flogged with a rattan, none of them receiving less than a hundred blows, and [ in order to make the pain more acute the rattan was brought down time after time on one spot, until the flesh began to slough off their backs. On the 17th one man died of the effects, on the 19th another, and on the 23rd yet another—three out of the nine. The police officer responsible, Shiina, was tried before a Japanese court, and this was the judgement?

" 'Although on the face of it these deaths seem to indicate that Shiina had exceeded the number of biows which he was to administer to the prisoners, still the punishment they received was exactly in accordance with their crime—therefore the accused officer must be acquitted of all responsibility.' "It is only fair to add that an appeal was made to a higher court at the request of many Japanese residents but the writer; was unable to discover with what result. "The eorresponden i of the "Japan Weekly Chrunicle," from whom some of these facts are taken, re- i ports: " 'Formerly I had been told re-' peatedly of such casea ending fatally, but I did not mistake inquiries for details. The cases were usually hushed up by a small payment of money to the relatives, of the deceased prisoner, and the removal to another district of the policeman who had so flagrantly exceeded his duty. Not infrequently such cases are never heard of, because the people

are in terror of making any charge against a Japanese policeman., lest it be afterwards visited on their heads in other ways„" "That this fear of reprisal is justified may be gathered from the following instance which occurred near Sung-Chin, in North-Korea: One morning in July, 19US, a Korean was brought itito a missionary's dispensary to be dressed :for bullet wounds in both legs. A gendarme out of a passing band had from sheer devilry taken a pot shot a him while he was weeding in his field. Utterly unaware of their proximity. A policeman, in the missionary's presence asked that the offending gendaime should be identified, which another Korean promptly proceeded to do. The gendarmes shortly aiterwards seized this unfortunate man. carried him off to their quarters, where tney tortured hira bv tying a cord to his tongue, putting on extreme tension, to teach him not to use that organ again in giving inforrr> tion. It was only owing to the presence of a high official from Kyung Sung, who, in company with the local Pref«d, went and remonstratec with the torturers, that the man wiu freed. The gendarme who was identi- < tied was not in any way punished. "The police officials' explanation tc the inquiring friends of the aggrieved victim as that the soldier must have gone crazy." We quote from the missionary's letter.

"It may be said that such matters are no concern of ours. 1 rue—though it should be possible to notify tlie Japanese that Great Britain cannot countenance such methods, and that she must withdraw from the alliance unless there is a complete cessation from such atrocities. Unfortunately, in cases which have concerned this coumry an entirely opposite course has been pursued. We shall probably be told that the cases related are but isolate - ! instances of the most rare oicurrnce, and merely exceptions proving the rule that Japanese methods of government are both humane and civilised. They are, unfortunately, nothing of the kind. Tfte Koreans have been so terrorised by the Japanese that evidence is not easy to procure, and, moreover, the Koreans are forbidden to leave, their country without a permit from the authoritis. Nevertheless, hardly a mail arrives without further information from cne source or another coming to hand of yet further outrages.

"It is estimated that up to the end of February, Iyo9, the number of Korean insurgents killed and wounded by the Japanese—and any man who runs away is considered an insurgent —amounted to nearly 33 000, as against 625 casualties on the other side; the result of the operations in South Korea for the year November, 1908-Oetober 31, 1909, being officially given as 3,098 insurgents killed, 267 wounded, 3.053 captured. The proportion of killed to wounded, and of Korean versus Japanese casualties, for irregular warfare in broken country, is truly significant. It is likely to be even more significant for the months following the ever-to-be-regretted assassination of Prince Ito.

"So full of anomalies, however, is the East that there can be little doubt that Korea as a whole is Infinitely better governed than ever before. Taxes first time are being rollectedjfn a just and equitable basis, hospitalsliave been built, tov*ns and villages cleansed, and roads and railways constructed in every direction, The resulting prosperity has produced a tra'Je return showing marked improvement on all previous figures. The Korean has rjeen aptly described as a 'nanny goat,' and he could have never successfully ruled his own country. There can be no question, as time goes on, that, unless ; he is exterminated to make way for the Japanese immigrant, he will beome more prosperous than he has ever had a chance of being before. The Japanese system of government is paternal to a t'egree, and the Korean, unaccustomed to rules or laws of any descriptijn, dislikes it accordingly. Like the child, however, he is compelled to swallow his dose and it is probable that in this case it will eventually benefit him. Meanwhile he will have paid a heavy toll for the psace-at-any-price policy he so long alvocated, and ia any case his country will never again dance to a tune of his own calling."